The short answer: heart rate zones split your effort into five levels, based on your maximum heart rate. On a rowing machine, spend most of your time (about 80%) in zone 2, an easy pace you could keep up for an hour. Use zones 4 and 5 for short, hard intervals once or twice a week. To estimate your maximum heart rate, take 220 minus your age.
Heart rate zone training takes the guesswork out of rowing. Instead of going hard every session and wondering why you're tired, you row at the right effort for the job: easy rows to build your engine, hard intervals to get faster. This guide explains each zone, shows you how to work out yours, and gives you rowing workouts for each one.
Live heart rate zones in the Rowing Machine Workouts app, streamed from Apple Watch.
Each zone is a percentage of your maximum heart rate (max HR). This is the five-zone model used by most fitness watches and apps.
| Zone | % of max HR | How it feels | What it does |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zone 1 | 50–60% | Very easy. Full conversation. | Warm-ups, cool-downs and recovery |
| Zone 2 | 60–70% | Easy. You can talk in full sentences. | Builds endurance and teaches your body to use more fat for fuel |
| Zone 3 | 70–80% | Moderate. Short sentences only. | Boosts aerobic fitness |
| Zone 4 | 80–90% | Hard. A few words at a time. | Makes you faster and raises the pace you can hold |
| Zone 5 | 90–100% | Flat out. No talking. | Max-effort sprints and top-end power |
First, estimate your maximum heart rate. The simplest formula is:
Max heart rate = 220 − your age
So a 40-year-old's estimated max is 180 beats per minute (bpm). Then multiply by each zone's percentage. Here are the zones for common ages:
| Age | Max HR | Zone 1 | Zone 2 | Zone 3 | Zone 4 | Zone 5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 | 200 | 100–120 | 120–140 | 140–160 | 160–180 | 180–200 |
| 30 | 190 | 95–114 | 114–133 | 133–152 | 152–171 | 171–190 |
| 40 | 180 | 90–108 | 108–126 | 126–144 | 144–162 | 162–180 |
| 50 | 170 | 85–102 | 102–119 | 119–136 | 136–153 | 153–170 |
| 60 | 160 | 80–96 | 96–112 | 112–128 | 128–144 | 144–160 |
Treat these numbers as a starting point. The 220 − age formula is an average, and your real maximum could be 10 or more beats higher or lower. If a zone feels much easier or harder than the table above describes, trust how it feels and adjust.
Check with your doctor first if you have a heart condition or take medication that affects your heart rate, such as beta blockers. Your zones may need to be set differently.
Whatever you use, keep it where you can see it. Glancing at your zone every minute or so is enough.
Row 20–45 minutes at a steady pace, 18–22 strokes per minute (SPM). If your heart rate creeps into zone 3, ease off the push or slow your stroke rate. This should feel almost too easy. That's the point: it builds your aerobic engine without wearing you out. Do this 2–3 times a week.
After a 5-minute warm-up, row 3 × 8 minutes in zone 3 at 22–24 SPM, with 2 minutes easy between. Good once a week once zone 2 feels comfortable.
After a 10-minute warm-up, row 5 × 3 minutes hard at 24–28 SPM, with 2 minutes easy between. Your heart rate takes a minute or two to climb, so you may only reach zone 4 near the end of each piece. That's normal.
After a 10-minute warm-up, row 8 × 30 seconds flat out at 28–34 SPM, with 90 seconds easy between. Let your heart rate drop back to zone 1 or 2 before each sprint. Keep these to once a week at most.
Every session starts with 5–10 minutes in zone 1 and ends with 5 minutes in zone 1. For more ready-made sessions, see our free rowing machine workouts.
See your zone live while you row
The Rowing Machine Workouts app shows your heart rate and zone (Z1 to Z5) right on the workout screen, streamed live from your Apple Watch. Guided workouts, a stroke-rate metronome and audio coaching are built in. Free to download.
Get the free appMost coaches follow a rough 80/20 rule: about 80% of your rowing time easy (zones 1–2) and 20% hard (zones 4–5). For a beginner rowing three times a week, that looks like this:
| Day | Session | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Session 1 | 25–30 min steady row | Zone 2 |
| Session 2 | 5 × 3 min hard, 2 min easy between | Zone 4 |
| Session 3 | 30–40 min steady row | Zone 2 |
Leave a rest day between sessions. After four weeks, add 5 minutes to each steady row or a fourth zone 2 session.
Zone 2 for most of your rowing. It builds endurance, helps your body use fat for fuel and lets you recover for harder sessions. Add zone 4 or 5 intervals once or twice a week to get faster.
60–70% of your maximum heart rate. For a 40-year-old, that's roughly 108–126 bpm. It should feel easy enough to talk in full sentences, usually at 18–22 strokes per minute.
In zone 2, a larger share of the energy you burn comes from fat. But harder zones burn more calories per minute in total. For weight loss, a mix works best: regular zone 2 rows you can stick with, plus one or two harder sessions a week. Our rowing for weight loss routine is built this way.
Wear a smartwatch or chest strap and check it as you row. The Rowing Machine Workouts app shows your live heart rate and zone on the workout screen when you wear an Apple Watch.
It helps, but you can start with the talk test. If you can talk in full sentences, you're in zone 2. Short sentences: zone 3. A few words: zone 4. Nothing at all: zone 5.
Train in the right zone, every row
Live heart rate zones from your Apple Watch, guided workouts and audio coaching. Rated 4.5 on the App Store and 4.7 on Google Play.
Download Rowing Machine WorkoutsLooking for a session to follow? Browse our free rowing machine workouts, from 9-minute ladders to 4-week plans.
Guided intervals, a stroke-rate metronome and plans that progress week by week. Works with any rowing machine, display or not. Try it free.
